Arson investigators are trying to determine what sparked three house fires over the weekend. Two of them broke out on the same street.
A mother and daughter were in tears after flames overtook their home at Lake and Owens Streets in east Bakersfield. Other family members helped them search for what was left but their search came up empty.
"She lost everything she had," says Vanessa Aguilar, whose mom's house was destroyed by fire. "My little sister's clothes, everything, now she doesn't have a place to stay."
The family was away when the fire started at 10:30 on Saturday night. Hours earlier, the house right next door also went up in flames but firefighters say the two fires did not appear related.
Neighbors say they believe homeless people were living in the first home that caught fire on Saturday afternoon. The flames quickly spread to two nearby homes.
"It was out of control, man," said neighbor Michael Hernandez. "We looked over there, we could see flames from their backyard and started seeing a lot of smoke."
On Saturday morning on the other side of town, firefighters say an explosion in one northwest Bakersfield home sparked a fire.
"All of a sudden we hear this huge massive explosion, my ears are still ringing," says Billie Joe Jimbob, a neighbor. "It blew the garage door across the street and instaneously, it was engulfed in flames."
No one was hurt and the neighbors say the homeowner was in the backyard when the fire started.
Kern County firefighters say they don't know what exactly sparked the explosion either. Both families are without their homes and an explanation.
"It's a big loss because she lost her house, her car, everything," said Aguilar.
Both County and City Fire Departments say all three fires are still under investigation.
